Lupe Fiasco's Greatness Is Evident with Food & Liquor II

September 19th, 2012

The album cover for Lupe Fiasco’s fourth studio album, Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1, is an empty black background. It’s void of any picture, symbol, or substance and completely open to individual interpretation.

The brain behind the black background is anything but. Fiasco is a vibrant, politically-charged artist, obsessed with relaying oft-controversial beliefs to the millions willing to hear them.

A Gifted Storyteller

On Food & Liquor II, Lupe continues on as one of the smoothest, most gifted lyricists that rap fans have ever experienced. Adding to this undeniable talent, Fiasco thrives as a fearless storyteller.

On the single “Lamborghini Angles,” the Chicago native weaves his message through clever storytelling not heard since Jay-Z’s prime or Biggie days. In the song, he connects multiple stories, so filled with emotional power, he felt obligated to issue a warning upon the song’s release.

Fiasco’s sound is unmistakable. Since the release of his critically acclaimed first album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor, Fiasco has prospered on vocalization and chorale backdrops to complement the various meanings behind his songs. Some songs are inspirational, while others are meant as public service announcements.

On songs like “Strange Fruition” and “Bad Bitch,” we get a sense of a man who refuses to sit on his hands while innumerable injustices mushroom throughout the world around him. Here, we get a taste of the deep seeded angst lumped down inside his soul.

Politics Don’t Overshadow the Music

Throughout his career, Lupe Fiaco has matured from a perceptive poet to a political protestor. He uses his music as a pump, to extract from the bottomless pool of ideas floating in his brain. Since the release of his third album, L.A.S.E.R.S., Fiasco’s sometimes contentious viewpoints have overflowed into other mediums, like magazine/online/radio interviews, as well as social media. As such, he’s become somehow less of an artist and more of an anti-violence spokesman. The result of his evolution has been a public shift away from the music and more towards the musician.

An Album with Too Many Expectations

Despite a weakening Q rating, expectations for Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1 were high for his most loyal fans and those not turned away by his hyperbolic political statements.

The album portrays a man who refuses to be silenced, continuing to cram his many opinions into the ears of whoever will listen. This is fine, if you don’t mind controversy, but not so great if you use music to relax.

From the standpoint of driving every word into a cause and making it count, this project soars to the same height as his previous three albums. But purely looking at it from the angle of someone hoping to enjoy rap music, it falls short. Regardless, his identity as an important talent and speaker has yet to waver. Check out this unmistakable artist on his next tour with tickets from ConcertTickets.com – your number one source for all things music!